New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives to the basket past New Orleans Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham (44) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Monday, March 28, 2016. The Pelicans won 99-91. (Gerald Herbert, The Associated Press)

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony is one of the NBA’s most popular players. One fan decided to give him an embrace Tuesday — at an interesting time.

Late in the fourth quarter, a young boy ran past security onto the court and gave Melo a hug.

Kenneth Faried shoots over Jeff Withey of the New Orleans Pelicans in a game at Pepsi Center last season. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

The Nuggets may have finished with their worst record (36-46) in a decade and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2003, but they did rank in the top 10 among NBA teams in one notable category: profitability.

According to Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who acquired and verified an official memo the league sent out to all 30 teams in June, the Nuggets benefited nicely from the league’s revenue-sharing to rank No. 8 among teams in projected profitability for 2013-14, despite an otherwise forgettable season. An exact figure was not mentioned in the report.

Below are the top teams ranked in order projected profitability, followed by others mentioned in Lowe’s report:

Tim Connelly, the new executive vice president of basketball operations for the Denver Nuggets. (Provided by New Orleans Pelicans)

The Nuggets have hired Tim Connelly as their new general manager, team president Josh Kroenke told The Denver Post Monday morning. Connelly’s official title is executive vice president of basketball operations. The New Orleans Pelicans assistant general manager will take over for Masai Ujiri, who left to take over as general manager in Toronto.

Meanwhile, Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw will interview Tuesday for the Nuggets’ coaching vacancy, an NBA source told The Denver Post on Monday morning. Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, the other top candidate, will interview on Wednesday, as Denver looks to replace the fired George Karl.

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.